Rotary engine.



- W. s. MINORI ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1908.

920,976. Patenteamaiyn, 1909.

y 2 SHEETS-'SHEET W. s. MINOR. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1908. I

Patented May 11, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET'Z.

. I i I T A inves/toa -set forth in Patent No. 900,410

WALTER S. MINOR, 0F CUNNINGHAM, TENNESSEE.

No. 920,976. Specification of arverne.

Letters Patent. Patented May 1i, i968.

Application led November lll, 52%. Serial No. ai.

To all whom 'it may concerm.

Bc it known that I, WALTER S. Mines, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cnnningharn, in the county of Montgomery and State oftennessee have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines, of which the following is a specifica-4 tion, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

lThis invention relates to improvements in rotary engines and moreparticularly the one granted to me on October 6, 1908.

The object of the present invention improve and simplify theconstruction. operation of rotary engines of this character.` and torender the same less expensive and more durable in construction, lighterrunning and more economical in use, self lubricating and alsoreversible.

With the above and other objects in View,

the invention consists ofthe novel features of construction and thecombination and arn ran ement `of arts hereinafter fully descri ed andclaimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a vertical transverse section through the improved rotary engine;Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section; 3 is an elevation of theinner face of one o'f the removable end the cylinder; ig. 4 is anenlarged sectional View showing the roller and roller bearing for oneoi' the guiding pins of the pist n blades;

Fig. @-is'a detail view of one of tli packing lates arranged upon thepins of the piston lades; and Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on theplane indicated by the line (il-6 in Fig.- 4.

My improved reversible rotary steam engine comprises a cylinder 1 havingits open ends covered bv removable heads 2 which are secured by bolts3,' annular ribs being provided upon the inner faces of the heads toenter annular grooves in the ends of the cylinder to properly center thehead and ,aren 'vide an effective connection, as show 2.. it the top ofthe bore of the cylinder iorined fa longitudinally `extending rib which,provides anebntment 4, and iny an enlargei ment upon the exterior ofthetop of the cylinder are formed two similar riassages 5, 6 eitherotwhi-cli may serve es steam inlet the other serves esasteam exhaust. Aslidable cup 4valve ':7 is arranged in a`\valve chamber.orstearn-ehestfor .the purpose of.

nin Fig. Y

i reversing the inlet and exhaust of steam to the engine and therebyreversing the engine, as nesently explained. Said valve 7 is adapted tobring either of the passages 5, 6 into communication with an exhaust pas.we s which may in turn. have a suitable en ist pipe connected to it. Asuitable steam inlet pipe is adapted to be connected to an inletconnect-ion 10 arranged at the top of the steam chest 8 and in one sideor end of said chest is a stuffing box for a slidable operating rod 11of the valve 7 which rod may be connected to a lever .or other operatingdevice. The bottom of the exterior of Ithe cylinder 1 is sha ed toprovide suitable supportingand attac ing feet l2 and in the center ofsaid bottom is a drain passage 13 which is adapted to permit the waterof con densation to be drawn ont of the cylinder and which is controlledby a pet cock 11i or the lilre. To facilitate the outlet of steam fromeither side of the cylinder according to the direction of rotation ofthe piston within the saine, the inner face of the bore of the cylinderis cut away, as shown at 15, from the passages 5, 6 to pointsapproximately midway the sides of lthe cylinder7 the lower extremitiesof said cut away o r enlarged por tions l5 being beveled, as indicatedat 16,

i for a purpose presently explained. l y lates or heads of the body oli17 denotes a shaft extending eoncentrically through the cylinder andjournaled in bearings 18 on, the cylinder heads 2, said bearings havingcomposition. metal boxes i9, oil supply .passages 20, and stuiiing boxes2l, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Fixed to said shaft 17 is la concentriccylinder piston 22 carrying two radially siidable piston blades 23arranged at dialnetrically opposite points iirlengitudinal recesses orslots 24 formed in 'as shown in Fig. plates 25 ln the niston heads orare termed radial s ots 2? adapted ing supplied to them through passages26,

thel piston. The piston 22 is of less dianr to receive `guide-z pins 28formed at opposite oints upon the ends of the piston blades 23. helatter are rectangular in shape and have their outer edges groovedlongitudinally to receive packing strips 29 which are projected by coilsprings against the inner wall or bore of t e cylinder and also againstthe bottoms'of the enlargements 15of said bore, the inclined ends 16 ofsaid enlargements 15 being providedA for the pur ose `of guiding thepacking strips 29, as ivi be. readily understood. "The inner edges ofthe piston blades 23Y are formed -with central recesses 31 to slideagainst the inner faces of the piston heads 25 and into and out ofrecesses 32 formed in the bottoms of the recesses or slots 24 of thepiston, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The iston blades 23 are moved into and out of t ie piston by the passageof the guide pins 28 through endless guide' grooves 33 formed in theinner faces of the cylinder heads 2 and having concentric portions 34.

and eccentric or cam portions 35, as clearly shown 1n Fig. 3, and inorder to reduce frlction and to cause the blades to Workeasily,

` anti-.'iriction rollers l36 are arranged u on the pins 28 to travel inthe grooves 33. o urther reduce friction anti-friction roller bearings37,' shown in Figs. 4 and 6 ol the drawings, are arranged Within therollers 33 and 2&3 ci the pins 28` by the engagement ofthe inner .rings'39 with shoulders 41 formed by reducing the pins 28 and also bywashers`42 .hi on reduced screw threaded extremities of, said pins'bynuts e4, as clearly shown :in Fig. Il of the drawings; To supply lubricant to the roller bearings, radial oi passages 4s `are formed at fouror more points 1n the rollers 38 and are adapted toreceive oil or,lubricant from inclined oil passages e6 'l formed in the heads 2 at theupper to i Por tions ci the grooves 33. i Suite le oi cups may beapplied to the outer ends of the oil passages le to constantly supplylubricant to the seme.

in crder to prevent steam from working.

around the ends ci the piston blades 23 and into annular recesses orcavities 47 formed in the inner faces of thecylinder heads 2, packingplates 48 are arranged upon the squared or flat faced portions of thepins 28 upon the outer faces of the iston heads 25. @ne oi these plates48 is s own in Fig. 5, upon referenceto which itwill be seen that it hasa square central 4opening to receive the pin 2S so that it cannotlrotateupon the sedere latter; and upon reference to Fig. 2'it will be seenthat said plates are of sulieient length ,to cover the slots 27 withoutregard to the positions of thcpins 28 in. said slots.

from the recesses 47 that may work into same'and also to permit thewater of condensation to drain from said recesses, downwardly inclinedoutlet passages 49 are ,formed in thecylinder heads 2l at the bot- ,tom

portions of said recesses, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to avoid compression in the slots or recesses 24. for thepiston blades, without making said slots or recesses unduly wide, asteam passage is formed in the iston around each of the piston blades,suc 1 passage consisting of two portions 50 on opposite sides of theslot 24 and connecting por# tions `51 which afford communication be--tween the inner ends 'of the portions 50 and an enlarged portion orrecess 52 which is in turn incommunication with the bottoni of' the slot24 and serves as a cage for a ball check valve 53. The latter isretained in the recess 52 by a pin 54 and it is adapted to seat againsteither of the passages 51 according to the pressure of steam in said passages.

The abutment 4 is provided with a T- shaped packing strip 55, the crossportion of which is disposed outside of 'said abutment and has bevelededgcs' to guide the pistou blades 23 and their packing strips 29; and athird portion or arm 57 of said lT-shuped packing strip is slidable in alongitudinal groove .formed in the abutment and is actuated outwardly bycoil springs 58, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings.

The y operation is follows: Assuming the parts to be in the ositionshown in Fig. l', the steam entering tie chest 8 through the inlet l0will ass over the valve through the passage 5 and) into the left side ofthe cylinder and its pressure against the left blade 23 will cause thcpiston and its shaft to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrowin Fig. ,1. The steam also seats the check valve 53 of the `left pistonblade to prevent the passage of steam-around said blade but at the sametime to equalize pressure in the recess or slot 24of such blade andprevent compression as the blade recedes into the piston upon thepassage of its vguide pins 28 through the cam portions 35 of fthegrooves 33. As the piston 22 rotates thci'light blade 23 in Fig. l willbe retracted into the piston owing to the move ment of its guide pins 28lthrough. the cam portions 35 of the grooves 33 and when the outer edge,or the aching strip in said edge, leaves the WalPof t 1e cylinder borethe'stc'ani confined in the bottom portion oi the cylinder between thetwo blades will pass out of the right side of the cylinder through thepas iso 9a When itis l the valve 7 is shifted to theleft to 4.cause itschamber to aord communication between the passages 5, 9 while thepassage 6 is un When the valve -is ina cen-l .in communicationwith theout-let passage 9.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

. 1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder having an"abutment and steam passages on'opposite sides of the abutment, cylinderheads provided with grooves having concentric and eccentric portions, arotary piston, a radially slidable .piston blade in said piston providedat its ends with guide pins to travel through the grooves in thecylinder heads, said )ins .having reduced cylindrical portions andreduced threaded extremities, anti-friction rollers arranged upon saidpins and adapted to travel through the grooves in the cylinderheads,rollerbearings arranged on the reduced cylindrical portions of the pinsand within the anti-friction rollers, said rolleiibearings having theircages engaged ith the shoulders formed by the reduced cylindricalportions of the pins, Washers arranged 4on the reduced threadedextremities' -of said pms and engagedwith said ant1-fr1c tion ro lersand nuts upon said reduced 'threaded extremities of thc pins.

2. .ln a rotary engine, the combination of I' a cylinder having anabutment and steam passages on opposite sides'of-theabutment, cylinderheads pro vided with grooves having concentric and eccentric portions, arotary piston, a radially desiredv to reverseqthe engine slidablepistonblade in said yada ted to travel in the grooves in t pistonprovided at its ends with guide pins to travel through the grooves inthe cylinder heads, said pins having squared flat faced portions andcylindrical portions, o rollers upon the cylindrical portions of thepins and e cylin der eads, piston heads upon the ends of the piston andformed with radial slots to receive the iat faced portions of the pinsof the iston blade, and packing plates aperture to receive the flatfaced portions @of said ins and. adapted to engage the outer faces otthe piston heads to close the 'slots in said heads.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder having an abutmentandteam passages on opposite sides of the abutment, cylinder headsformed in their inner faces with grooves havin concentric and eccentricportions, said cy inder heads,Y being also formed` with oil passages incommunication with the upper portions of their grooves, a rotary'piston,a radially slidable piston blade in the piston andprovided at its endswith guide ins to travel throughdthe grooves in the cylinder heads,anti-friction rollers upon said guide pins and formed with oil passagesextending from their peripheries to' their bores and adapted to receiveoil from the oil I signature in the presence of two witnesses.

` WALTER S. MINGR. Witnesses W. A. ROGERS, i LoNzo MORGAN.

through the v

